


Shelter

by ForgivenIndulgence



Series: Lithia x Alphinaud [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:40:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25965247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgivenIndulgence/pseuds/ForgivenIndulgence
Summary: In a moment of peace, the Warrior of Light reflects on her relationship with Alphinaud.
Relationships: Alphinaud Leveilleur/Warrior of Light
Series: Lithia x Alphinaud [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863670
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> here's the music I used while writing 💕  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvTYQkgaHSo
> 
> ___

Slender fingers embraced worn porcelain. Her tired gaze mindlessly wandered until she faced her reflection in the dark brew.  
Was that… her? Hair pure white, like coerthan snow. Mismatched eyes staring back at her, exhausted, but happy. A weary smile pulled at her lips.  
After everything, was she herself now, more than ever before? Or had she lost herself somewhere in the past?  
Leaning back in the chair, the halls of the Rising Stones empty and quiet, save for the soft scribbles of Tataru, the warrioress began to dream.

A daughter of the Jungle, she was stranded in the city with nothing but her honest ambitions. She was lost, drifting among the people until one day his voice reached her. Louisoix Leveilleur. To a woman far from home, his words harbored hope. It was as if in a crowd of foreign noises, a clear melody reached her sensitive ears.  
Well understood he the Garlean threat, and so did she. She had seen the decaying aether in Eorzea’s soil. 

The following years were spent earnestly studying war tactics. Someone with a keen mind like hers had an easy time ascending in the ranks of the newly formed grand companies.  
Hence, when the Battle of Carteneau came, she was a proud tactician, leading groups in their inevitable doom. Never would she forget the agony, the despair, as Dalamud’s prison broke and Bahamut descended upon the realm. The horror. The death.

No one but herself heard her screams of terror as Louisoix stood against him.  
Resolved in a beautiful display of lights and aether, he was gone.

Her days after were a blur in her mind. Yes, she studied calamatology, but... The sorrow she felt, what was it like? Somehow, she couldn’t put her finger on it. Instead, something pulled at her heart now. A reminder that something else was much more important.

When she heard a rumor of Louisoix’s grandchildren departing for Eorzea, the lost viera found a new purpose in her being. Perhaps now, finally, she could repay Louisoix’s sacrifice. And so she set out to find the young man and woman by the names of Alphinaud and Alisaie.

Life in Eorzea was not easy. It seemed many had forgotten, or wanted to forget, the tragedy that had been the calamity. The brave souls that gave their lives. Her. It was all taboo. And yet, it was fine by her. If she could, she would gladly forget the shame of leading troops into their certain death. 

Finally, he was there.  
At first, she scarcely recognized him. He didn’t take much after his grandfather at all. His skin pale, his eyes of a deep blue, like the sky on a mild day, free of clouds. His long, white hair was the only part that was even slightly reminiscent of Archon Louisoix.

Her mind was made up, however. She would protect him, no matter the cost.  
“And if I die? So be it.”  
Back then, she had truly thought such foolish things.

Task after task, she happily carried them all out. Slaying Gods, dragons, whatever else mister Leveilleur thought would further their agenda.  
Somehow, his presence was refreshing. It was clear he didn’t care much about her past, or origin. Even if others would call him selfish, to her his conceitedness was welcome. In a way, it had shown her that no matter her past, there was a way to move forward, to let it rest.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” A voice in the depth of her mind had asked. But she was not ready to forgive herself yet.

When was it that the change occurred? It must have been around the time they began recruiting for the Crystal Braves. A naive man’s dream. Of course, back then, she couldn’t have known just how wrong it would go. Still, she always had her doubts.  
In the end, she decided no matter the outcome, it would make for a good lesson for the young diplomat. Ever the believer in Louisoix’s words, she was not one to nip growth in the bud. And if the world would come to stand against Alphinaud, then she would be by his side.  
Because she cared.

How ironic, that it was just Louisoix’s grandchild and me that were left. The Gods’ will is beyond me, or perhaps it was fate?

It wasn’t until it was just the two of them, trotting through snow covered streets, through mountains, together with newfound allies, that she came to think.  
The way he talked, the way they spoke, how he was overly worried for her well-being. Perhaps there was hope to be found in simply being with him.  
Through the cold coerthan soil, a bud of love had sprung against all odds.  
Sitting silently, in the warmth of Fortemps manor, her gaze dazed as she watched him converse, colors washing together, her lips showing a tired yet gentle smile.

Maybe... I am finally free from these shackles of my past…  
Please rest well, Louisoix, knowing that he is in good hands.

The rava’s senses were freed from what had weighed down her heart. Instead, she felt a gentle pull. Before her inner eye, there was a red string. Even without following it she had known who it led to.  
Curious, how her feet moved more freely than ever before, until she stood by his side.

“A warrior’s strength is not their weapon, or their prowess. No, they are only as strong as their conviction.”  
Her lips whispered the words, a soft chuckle filling the candle lit room.  
“Then it’s a mystery how I ever fell even a single primal back then…”  
“Or perhaps my heart had known all along…”

Setting down the cup, Lithia stood up from where she had rested.  
“Are you going back in…? You should rest in a bed for once, Lithia…”  
Her ears twitched as she perceived Tataru’s worried tone.  
“I’m quite alright, don’t worry yourself. Besides… I…”  
Her gaze was averted, facing the door to Dawn’s Respite.  
“You wouldn’t be able to sleep anywhere else, other than by his side. Oh, how romantic.”  
The lalafellin lady’s grin spread across her cheeks as she watched the tall-grown viera with glee.  
The tactician felt her heart beating, her face’s temperature rising.  
“Yes… I would rather not leave his side more than necessary. You never know when my healing magicks are needed.”  
A small giggled reached the rava’s mildly drooping ears.  
“Of course! I won’t stop you in that case. Ask me if you need anything.”

Finally returning to the sleeping elezen’s side, Lithia’s heart felt whole once more.  
She mouthed a silent ‘I am home’, before sitting down by his bedside. Her head came to rest atop of his hand. That way, she would know when he stirred.  
Soon the restless woman’s eyes felt heavier and heavier. It seemed that avoiding sleep for the first few days his soul had returned to his host had finally taken its toll, even on the Warrior of Light’s enduring body.  
Thus, by his side, the woman drifted off into peaceful slumber, on her face an expression of nothing short of bliss.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the dead of night, Alphinaud has a lapse of judgement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the promised soft!  
> I hope you have a lovely day and don't forget to pet a Viera's ears today ♥

The peaceful veil of night had finally fallen over Mor Dhona. With the daily banter of the Dawn’s Respite long subsided, a blissful quiet had spread throughout the room, its inhabitants drifting off into their well-needed rest.  
All of them, except for one.  
His recovery, as well as his sister’s, had progressed much faster than the others’. This was most likely due to the fact that they had spent the least amount of time on the First. That was what they had concluded, anyway. While he had insisted that he was more than fine, the lalafellin ladies, as well as a certain heroine, had wanted to watch his development just a bit longer.  
And right now, by his side, there was none other than the brave warrioress who refused to leave her friends alone. How much she cared had always been endearing to the young man. If it wasn’t for her kind heart, perhaps she had left him a long time ago. The way he had treated her back then, it still made him cringe. But she… Not once had she held his past mistakes against him.

Blue eyes fluttered open, his gaze wandering to the soothing woman next to him. His eyes, once adjusted to the dark of the room, quietly watched her slowly rising and sinking body.   
It seemed she had finally fallen asleep.  
With noticing, a loving smile had curled his lips.  
“Rest well, Lithia… Gods know you deserve to.” His voice was a mere breath, mindful not to rouse the others, or worse, her.  
His hand that was not kept in place by the weight of a certain bunny’s head reached for the bedside table where a neatly folded blanket was kept for her. His movement was slow, almost comically so, but he wouldn’t risk waking her up.  
After all she must have been extraordinarily exhausted if she didn’t think to cover herself.  
It took some work, especially with one hand compromised, but eventually he managed to tuck her in. As good as possible given the circumstances, anyway.  
For a moment, his mind suggested something that made blood rush to the tips of his ears.  
What if she got to rest by his side? Would that not be a good solution?  
His heartbeat sped up, imagining the tall-grown woman sleep next to him in bed.  
‘Oh Gods, what are you thinking Alphinaud? That would be like... we’re bonded.’  
By now, his cheeks had been painted a lovely shade of red.  
Of course, his mind couldn’t simply stop there. Before his inner eye he saw her, clad in a gorgeous gown of white. On her lips, the gentle smile of hers that made his heart skip a beat.

His eyes focused on the sleeping rava.  
Her face displayed a serene expression. As if she was at peace by his side, as if she needed nothing more than to know him safe.  
The pure white strands of hair that framed her round face, her dreamy long lashes, her gorgeous anthracite skin, barely illuminated by the weakening shine of a candle, the lovely, fluffy ears that looked to be incredibly soft to the touch.  
As if sensing his thoughts, one of said over-sized organs twitched. The young man couldn’t help but stare in awe.  
In his, most definitely not self-indulgent, studies, he had found scarce information on the viera. One of the more well-known facts, however, was that their hearing was excellent.  
Their best quality, at least in the Sharlayan prodigy’s humble opinion, was how cute they were.

His thoughts keeping him occupied, the elezen hadn’t realized how his free hand had been gravitating towards them until, at last, tufts of soft fur tickled the tips of his fingers.  
“Ah…!” A silent exclamation soon followed the pleasant sensation of furriness.   
The temptation to run his fingers along the length of her long, proud ears was almost overpowering. It took every bit of self-control to not reach out again, after all his entire being yearned to touch them, to touch her. To be with her.

A moment of silence passed. Suddenly, he realized the situation he had found himself in. This was incredibly indecent. Guilt threatened to wash over him, and, much to his dismay, he felt a threatening aura somewhere in the room.  
His body turned around painfully slowly as he dreaded what was about to be revealed to him.  
Inch by inch she came into his field of vision, her smirk included.  
“Are they soft, brother?” That smug tone of hers sent shivers down his spine. She had seen everything, hadn’t she?

His mind panicked, trying to figure out a way to defend his actions.  
“I… This is not…” Stammering. That would certainly convince her.  
A soft chuckle passed through his twin’s lips. Of course she thought this was amusing.  
He noticed how her arms began to cross. That could only mean one thing - she meant to interrogate him.  
Oh, this was going to be a long night.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of softness. The other day I was wondering how Lithia first got over her past and let herself fall for Alphinaud.  
> Then I decided to write it down.  
> I will probably do a little extra chapter for some additional fluff later, so feel free to check back then!  
> Hope you survived 5.3 well enough, personally I only cried about 10 times!
> 
> //Update: The soft has been delivered ♥


End file.
